Creating mental immunity to reduce the risk associated with substance abuse among junior high school students in Nakhon Pathom Province, Thailand

• Published in: Children and youth services review 2024-12, p.108092, Article 108092
• Main Authors: Khuntiterakul, Praphan, Ninkron, Paranee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescents; Drug abuse; Intervention; Prevention; Substance abuse
• ISSN: 0190-7409
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.108092

•Self-efficacy and awareness reduce youth drug involvement.•Peer and online influence significant in drug access.•Family dynamics critically impact youth drug behavior.•Mental immunity model effectively reduces drug risks.•Community involvement essential in drug prevention efforts. This is a mixed-methods investigation to identify risk factors for substance abuse among adolescents and trial a community based intervention approach among junior high school students (13–15 years old) in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. Data was collected from questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions with key stakeholders in the field over a four-phase research process. The quantitative portion of the design is based a single-group design examining only change in this group and not comparing this group to a group not receiving the immunization. The results indicate that four main risk factors have a positive correlation with drug abuse among adolescents: 1) access to drugs, 2) family relationships, 3) self-esteem, and 4) drug awareness. The researchers created and implemented a model for the mental immunization of youth in Nakhon Pathom Province, which consisted of various activities to build resilience to substance abuse in young people. The findings indicate that a community-led approach to drug intervention had an association with mental immunization, although longer-term measures are required for the successful continuation of this method.